New CIO for MTN

New MTN CIO Benjamin Marais plans to use the transformative power of technology to improve the way customers interact with the brand.

MTN has appointed Benjamin Marais as its new CIO, effective 1 March. Marais joins MTN from Discovery Health, where he has worked as CIO of Vitality and Card Systems since 2011.

MTN SA CEO Mteto Nyati says Marais brings a wealth of experience to MTN that will ensure the company introduces cutting-edge systems that will significantly enhance customer experience.

"As we venture into delivering on our strategy of being truly customer-centric, we need to tap into the wealth of skills that may be found outside of the telecommunications sector. There are organisations that have successfully gone through the same transformation, hence it is important to get best practice by tapping into those skills in order to set ourselves apart," adds Nyati.

Marais is taking over from Neil Tomkinson, who has served as CIO since October 2013. Tomkinson has filled various roles at MTN since 2005 and is moving into a new executive role at MTN group technologies.

Marais has experience in the banking, health and digital space. He was CIO of eBucks for almost five years and was also previously CTO of Xerox-owned technology, services and consulting firm WDSGlobal. He is a qualified electrical and electronics engineer, and has global experience, having worked across the African continent, the UK and Middle East.

"Communication has grown to become increasingly complex and therefore it is critical that the systems we have in place meet the challenges of the modern day era. It is pivotal that we take a proactive approach to integrating our systems, while ensuring that our processes are simplified and not burdensome for the end-user," according to Nyati.

Marais says he is happy to take on this new challenge, and expressed his willingness to make a positive contribution in his new role.

"I am proud to be part of this dynamic company that is using its technology to change lives across its footprint in Africa and the Middle East. I am confident that with the team that I have in place and the support of the board, we can use the transformative power of technology to considerably improve the way our customers interact with the MTN brand."